HANOI, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The 27th meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF) agreed Saturday to promote cooperation in order to respond to and mitigate the impacts of the COVID-19 epidemic and other contagious diseases.

The ARF, which comprises 27 participants including the 10 ASEAN members, China, Japan and South Korea, was held via video conference in the framework of the 53rd ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting under the chair of Vietnam.

The meeting approved several documents including the Hanoi Plan of Action II of the ARF, the Chairman's Statement of the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum and a statement regarding cooperation on information and technology security in the international security context, Vietnam News Agency reported.

The attendees also agreed to further strengthen cooperation in priority areas including disaster relief, the fight against terrorism and transnational crime, and cybersecurity, according to the news agency.

The ARF, established in 1994, serves as an important political and security forum in the region.